Longtime radio professional Mike Minarsky launches Wolverine Radio from a transmitter on his Jewett City roof.

Mike Minarsky has spent a lifetime in radio, starting from his teenage years. After decades spent learning the ropes, hiring himself out as a "portable DJ" and working for "corporate America," he's now pursuing his passion out of his own living room, broadcasting his own programming on Wolverine Radio at WJGP-DP, 1690 AM.

"This started out as a hobby. Now the hobby is becoming something different – it's becoming a career change," said Minarsky. He's taking advantage of a Federal Communications Commission law that permits anyone to operate a low-power transmitter of 1 milliwatt without obtaining an expensive FCC license. His single transmitter, which is about half the size of a shoebox, sits atop the roof of his Hill St. home, sending out a mix of what he calls "hot adult contemporary" music, local news and current information.

He's driven by not only a love of radio – what he calls "the most intimate form of media you can get, because they're talking to you" – but also by hopes to serve the Griswold community. Currently, listeners can receive the signal within about a 2-mile radius, but anyone can listen in online by going to http://www.mygriswold.com . His station is fully FCC-authorized and "by the books," he said.

"The long-term goal is to have 10 to 12 transmitters," placed strategically throughout town, said Minarsky. Unlike much commercial radio, which plays standardized programming from some far-away studio, "we're community based. We want to serve Griswold, Jewett City and Plainfield.

"I don't want to be the voice of [the station]. I've had my day," said Minarsky. "If you can get a diverse set of personalities, then it's not just a win for us. It's a win for the community. I want people to be able to identify with people from their own community." To that end, Minarsky will host town and borough officials and local talent, like retired radio personality Ron Osborne, on the air. "There's a lot of things in the works," he said.

"Some stations are boring because they're too predictable," said Minarsky. Following the station's "soft launch" three months ago, he tinkered with the format, responding to listener complaints that the music was putting them to sleep by programming "peppier" music from across a 50-year span of popular music.

Minarsky, a veteran DJ of at least 1,000 weddings, also put in time with the now-defunct Radio Shack and Verizon Wireless, but said that he got "sick and tired" of his corporate jobs. "There's no happiness at all. It's all pressure," he said. To make matters worse, he found himself missing his children's wrestling meets and dance recitals for work. Now he can automate his playlist to keep the signal broadcasting while he spends time with his family.

"I've lived here my whole life," said Minarsky. "This town didn't have a radio station. It's fun to see a hobby [become] something the town feels they need as much as I need it. I want to serve my community in a way I can make a difference."